The monsoon crossed a major milestone on Saturday by keeping its date with Mumbai and Pune with India Meteorological Department (IMD) announcing the onset of seasonal rains over the country’s commercial capital delayed only by a day, despite a hiatus midway that lasted for a week.
It was only the previous day that the monsoon ended the standstill along an alignment (northern limit) linking Karwar, Chikamagaluru, Bengaluru and Dharmapuri in Karnataka. The IMD said that it has advanced also into most parts of Konkan, some parts of Madhya Maharashtra and some more parts of Karnataka on Saturday morning.
Very heavy rain likely
The IMD has predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Konkan and Goa during next five days. Isolated heavy rainfall is forecast over parts of the rest of the West Coast including Coastal Karnataka until Monday, and over Kerala and Mahe today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday).
The northern limit of the monsoon passed through Dahanu, Pune, Gadag, Bengaluru and Puducherry while its eastern end ran into the North-Eastern States on Saturday morning.
Conditions as favourable for its further advance into remaining Konkan, some parts of Gujarat, most parts of Madhya Maharashtra, entire Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, some parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh during next two days.
Most expansive yet
Conditions would continue to become favourable for monsoon to signal its most expansive phase yet as it readies to enter more parts of Gujarat, some parts of Marathwada, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, hills and plains of West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar during the subsequent 2-3 days.
Even more remarkable is that it will be powered by its own internal dynamics since there is no helpful circulations developing over either the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal. Even the crucial offshore trough is conspicuous by its absence along the West Coast, denying the usual rains to Kerala and Coastal Karnataka.
Active over East India
Towards the East of the country, the IMD has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, hills of West Bengal and Sikkim during next five days, and heavy over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura from tomorrow (Sunday) to Tuesday.
Isolated/scattered rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and the plains of West Bengal during next five days .A similar forecast is valid for Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh during this period.